Archive for the 'Guns' Category

Nice job.  Something we could all do if we had the gun, some time, and a little practice.

Source.

The world’s first “smart gun” hit the market Thursday, complete with a life-saving fingerprint unlocking system that prevents “unauthorized” people such as kids and criminals from firing it.

The cutting-edge 9mm handgun locks out everybody except the owner and users specifically approved by the owner — technology that could improve gun safety in America, according to reps from the gun-making firm Biofire.

[ … ]

The $1,499 gun unlocks in less than a second, using either a fingerprint or facial recognition sensor, then quickly locks again when it’s no longer in use.

[ … ]

“This Smart Gun was designed specifically for real gun owners who want a quality home-defense firearm that cannot be used by children or criminals,” said Mike Corbett, a BioFire advisor and former member of SEAL Team 6. “In a few years, I believe that the head of every household in America who wants a home-defense firearm is going to choose this Smart Gun.”

Absurd.  What happens to people to make them say things like “I believe that the head of every household in America who wants a home-defense firearm is going to choose this Smart Gun?”  He doesn’t really believe that, and you know it and he knows it and he knows that you know it.

$1,499 is enough money to buy a really nice gun like a CZ Shadow 2, or almost enough to buy a Dan Wesson 1911.  Who on earth would pay that much money for something like this?

Along with its need to be recharged, its additional biometric failure mode, its additional unlocking hardware failure modes, its unseemly appearance, the difficulty of concealment, the lack of textured grip, and the lack of an optics ready package?

And that’s the low end.  If you want more colors or more magazines with a range bag, their price extends to well over $2000.

Yea, Mr. Navy SEAL Mike Corbett doesn’t really believe people will buy this, and the investors have thrown their money away.

Good.

Prior: Smart Guns Tag

Henry Repeating Arms:

It comes in .357 (.38 Special) with a Birdshead Grip or Gunfighter Grip.

As the perfect companion to ride alongside our world-famous Big Boy rifle or as the star of its own show, the Big Boy Revolver is a classically styled six-shooter fully capable of bringing the Henry name into the wild world of wheel guns with the same attention to detail and American craftsmanship you know and love.

Available with square Gunfighter-style grips for maximum control or rounded, compact Birdshead-style grips for better concealment, this traditional double-action handgun would look right at home on the shelf of a Wild West general store. Borrowing design cues from its long gun brethren, the Big Boy Revolver touts highly polished blued steel throughout the medium-sized frame, quick-release cylinder, and 4” barrel. In addition, genuine American walnut grip panels are affixed to both sides of a mirror-like brass trigger guard that’s visible around the grip to the top of the backstrap.

At about 34 ounces, these revolvers carry easily yet shoot softly with a smooth pull and hammer drop in double action and a crisp break in single action. A traditional revolver sight picture is achieved with a fixed notch cut directly into the frame and a ramped blade front sight, of which three sizes are included for regulating the point of aim to match the point of impact. Like its rifle counterpart, a transfer bar safety keeps the firing pin from striking a loaded chamber unless the hammer is cocked back and the trigger is squeezed.

From full-house .357 Magnum loads for hunting to light .38 Special target loads for easy plinking, the Big Boy Revolver will eat all you can feed it. So whether shooting for fun or meat, having your long gun and sidearm chamber the same cartridge is convenient — that’s Cowboy Logistics at its finest.

As the first-ever revolver under our belt, serious collectors and connoisseurs of the Henry mark will relish the opportunity to add both variants to their safe. Modern design features with historically consistent style have always been our hallmark, and the Big Boy Revolver is no exception.

2023 is gonna be one helluva year for SIG. pic.twitter.com/EFp8S2Jpjy

— Roland☃️ (@rolandpew1230) April 10, 2023

Then there’s the Milwaukee PD who intend to get rid of theirs.  Then there’s this article.  David Codrea weighs in as well.

If you doubt all of this, there is at least this anecdote from reddit/Firearms.

I’d say that if I hadn’t seen it happen at a match I was at. Guy had his hands at high ready waiting for the beep and his 320 discharged in the holster. Shirt was tucked and it was higher end OWB holster. This was circa 2020 with a newer production gun. Apparently the firing pin spring broke and that some how allowed the firing pin to drop. He was lucky as the bullet ricocheted off something in his pocket.

As for me?  I don’t like the height of the bore over the axis.  I wouldn’t have the pistol.  Then, I wouldn’t have a Sig AR because I loath whatever control Sig has over former U.S. generals that enables them to get unwarranted and undeserved contracts.

You make up your own mind.

Ryan Muckenhirn discusses the action in the Tikka bolt action rifles.  I share his admiration for the smoothness of the action and accuracy of the rifle.

This is interesting for most of us, although it wouldn’t and doesn’t dissuade me from carrying a revolver for personal defense.  Of course, if your name is Jerry Miculek, none of this applies to you.  It seems to me that one of the lessons is to carry a backup handgun if you think you might be in a protracted gunfight.  If you can’t predict the future like most of us, I guess get good with speed loaders.  I like the idea of carrying a secondary weapon better.

On a related note, I don’t ever buy Armscor ammunition.  One comment to Sam’s video is interesting: “Back as a cop, I carried a 22 mag pocket revolver as a backup to the 38 issued weapon. Our armourer specifically warned us not to use Squires Bingham (what Armscor used to be in those days) 22 wrmf rounds for this reason. And this was quite a while ago now. Seems their QA for their rimfire mag round has not improved much.”

Here is a video from Silencer Shop.  This sounds like a nice idea, but at the expense of registering it with the ATF, not so much any more.  You’re free to disagree. I see that they have designed the suppressors with different choke sizes in mind. That answered the only question I had before watching he video: what does this do to the shot pattern? I do wonder what this does to the weight distribution and balance of the gun though.

I find that using shotguns in particular reduces the need for any sort of suppression of the sound because of the comfort of wearing sound enhancing ear muffs (or electronic ear muffs).  They work well with the lower comb of the shotgun and don’t interfere with getting a good cheek weld.

Rifles are a different story.  With rifles the stock doesn’t have the same profile, and this is especially true of modern sporting rifles where the stock is along the same axis as the recoil.  I find that electronic ear muffs do interfere with my cheek weld.  The only option at that point is foam hearing protection for the ear canal.

The upshot of electronic ear muffs for hunting or other shooting sports is that, especially for a person who is somewhat hard of hearing like me, the muffs actually enhance the sound (other than the shot itself).  I damaged my hearing by running power equipment for years before we thought about things like hearing protection. I always use hearing protection now. Thus, the last time I went quail hunting I had a regular conversation with someone with muffs on, and yet suffered no hearing damage from the shotgun.  The downside of foam hearing protection is that no such conversation can be had.

I am a fairly well rounded engineer, and in addition to studying both mechanical and nuclear engineering, I have studied the physics of sound, including all of the OSHA regulations and the dumbed-down ways they force you to compute reduction in decibels (for example, when double protection is used).  OSHA crafts its calculations for the simplest minded health and safety technician to use, not for the engineer.

But those regulations do provide worker protection.  And while it can be said that OSHA has no jurisdiction over hearing safety for those other than workers, if the FedGov cared in the least about the health and safety of its citizens, OSHA would be in front of Congress lobbying for removal of suppressors from the NFA.  Hearing loss is a human safety issue.  There are no two ways about it.

The only conclusion one can reach is that OSHA doesn’t really care about you, any more than the federal government does.  Because you engage in hunting and the other shooting sports, they hate you.  It’s that simple.  If they cared about you, they would have removed suppressors a very long time ago and allowed them to be sold at the local hardware store.

This video provides good basic instruction to those who would show friends and family how to start out. The entry questions are excellent for a very basic start in understanding somebody’s background. Too bad he didn’t film the initial interview. Perhaps in a later video, he’ll provide some tips on interviewing prospective shooters to get a feel for their experience and desires. I’ve done that too. Having a great first-time experience for new shooters is critical to wooing converts to the, um, shooting sports. Confidence is key for a new shooter to become a lifelong self-defense firearms carrier.

I recommend exactly what Mrgunsngear says, spend a couple of weekends renting everything. Also, go with an experienced and knowledgeable associate to help with understanding different firearm types, handling, and critical safety procedures. The goal in your home defense and carry gun purchase(s) is the ability to hit what you’re aiming at; that’s the gun for you.

Another classic gun type. Ruger is doing well with the Marlin line of rifles and has now offered a new wheel gun to its lineup. There’s just something agreeable about the old classics. Ruger Super Wrangler line, including MSRP. Pretty neat! The Bronze Cerakote option looks a lot better in the video than the picture on the Ruger page.

Video Review:

Source (appears to be a copy-paste of Ruger press info):

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. is pleased to introduce the Super Wrangler family of single-action revolvers. Building on the success of the affordably-priced Wrangler line introduced in 2019, the Super Wrangler features a robust steel cylinder frame and ships with two cylinders, allowing you to convert between inexpensive .22 LR ammunition and powerful .22 WMR ammunition.

Built on the legacy of the popular Ruger Single-Six, the Super Wrangler complements Ruger‘s rich history of producing quality, rugged, reliable single-action revolvers. The attractive price, combined with the affordability of rimfire ammunition, make this revolver ideal for learning to shoot, introducing friends or family to the sport, or just experiencing the fun of single-action shooting.

With the introduction of the Single-Six in 1953, Bill Ruger pioneered the use of modern investment casting in firearms manufacturing to usher in a new level of affordability in single-action revolvers. Through the use of modern CNC-machining methods and lean manufacturing techniques, the Super Wrangler continues this tradition and sets a new bar for affordability while maintaining the rugged reliability that is the hallmark of Ruger firearms.

Initially offered in three attractive Cerakote models – black, silver and bronze – the Super Wrangler features an adjustable target sight and 5.5-inch barrel. The standard checkered black grip panels can be swapped for Single-Six panels, allowing for a variety of customized options. The Super Wrangler will fit in Single-Six holsters that accommodate 5.5-inch barrels. Cylinders are unique to the Super Wrangler, and are not interchangeable with standard aluminum-frame Wrangler or Single-Six Convertible cylinders.

Let’s say that, hypothetically, you have two rifles, a Marlin 45-70 and a Marlin 30-30.  I think both rifles are close enough in ballistics (even with the massive weight difference) that they can be considered together.  Neither rifle is considered a 400 yard rifle – they’re both effective at 0 – 200 yards or so, with the 45-70 drop more significant further out than the 30-30.  But let’s go ahead and lump the two cartridges together for the sake of argument.

You obviously don’t need a 4X24 scope, and besides, a good one with that power would cost too much for the rifle it would be mounted on to be worth it.

What power would you recommend?  What brand would you recommend?  Obviously, the stipulation is not breaking the bank (no Steiner, no Schmidt and Bender, etc.).  Also quite obviously, this would be best in a SFP scope.  Any shot requiring use of high magnification and subtensions is probably too far for those rifles.  Assume that the scope is for use within and zeroed at 100 yards, but used by folks with failing eyes.